


Something Borrowed, Something Blue

by Sandrine Shaw (Sandrine)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Multi, Polyamory, Relationship Reveal, Sharing Clothes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 10:19:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14211000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandrine/pseuds/Sandrine%20Shaw
Summary: "Snart has a nasty habit of taking things that aren't his," Cisco chimed in, a little too hotly – and why was he glaring at Iris when he said that?





	Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Animated chatter greeted Iris when she stepped into the Cortex.

She'd rushed over to S.T.A.R. Labs as soon as she got Cisco's alert, but judging by the heat of the argument debating the best way to fight the meta currently on the rampage at Mercury Labs, the others had been here for a while already.

"Iris! There you are!" Harry snapped when he spotted her, impatience in his tone, and every head twisted around towards her. 

"I was just saying that —" Cisco looked at Iris and his eyes went wide, voice grinding to a halt. Next to him, Caitlin's mouth opened momentarily as if she wanted to say something before she shut it again. 

Iris's dad frowned at her, that familiar disappointed expression that she had known and feared since she'd been a little girl, the one that said _I'm not saying anything right now but we'll be having words later_. It was usually easy enough to figure out what had brought it on: something important she'd kept from him, an unnecessary risk she'd been taking, a choice she'd made that he didn't approve of. 

Except this time, she had no idea. It felt like everyone in the room was none-too-subtly judging her, and she couldn't think of anything she might have done to justify those kinds of looks, other than maybe arriving a bit later than everyone else. 

"Look, guys, I came as quickly as I could." She aimed for apologetic but missed, the annoyance over the odd reception too grating. "We can't all be speedsters."

She'd been back at the loft working on an exposé about the prejudices meta-powered kids were struggling with when she'd noticed that her phone was blinking madly with a flurry of increasingly agitated text messages from Cisco, each one more illegible than the last. If Barry had been around, he could have given her a ride to S.T.A.R. Labs and saved her from having to navigate the rush-hour traffic. It was startling how frustrating and slow mundane means of transportation had become since she'd married the fastest man alive.

Actually, come to think of it... "Where is Barry, anyway?"

Cisco and Caitlin shared another one of those looks, awkward and full of a hidden meaning Iris couldn't decipher. 

"He... should be right back."

"Yeah, he just went to get... um—"

"Help. He went to get help to stop Blaze from, you know, blazing up Mercury Labs." Cisco's grin looked weirdly forced. "Hey, see what I did there? Blaze, blazing...?" 

Harry stepped away from the whiteboard. "Yes, Cisco, your elementary school level pun wasn't lost on us. What's going on? Listen, I know my social skills have some room for improvement, but even I can't help detecting that things suddenly got weird. I don't know what got into you, but can we focus on the problem at hand?"

At least Iris wasn't the only one who noticed that something was wrong and who felt left out of the loop by her friends' odd behavior. She was just about to ask for details about the meta when Barry rushed in, a gust of wind accompanying his arrival, stirring up print-outs and sending the disposable coffee mug on Cisco's desk – thankfully empty – tumbling to the floor.

"Hey guys, good news. I got Le— Snart and Lisa to help us. Snart's gun —"

"Technically, it's my gun. Snart has a nasty habit of taking things that aren't his," Cisco chimed in, a little too hotly – and why was he glaring at Iris when he said that?

Barry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, please don't fight over ownership of the Cold Gun when we need their help. You and Snart can debate that later, okay? Anyway, the gun should cool Blaze down to the point where she's not spontaneously combusting anym—" 

He stopped in his tracks when he saw Iris, same as Cisco before, and... was he _blushing_?

Iris frowned and threw him a quizzical look. 

His lips twitched.

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a deliberate once-over, so slow even by normal human standards that she knew it was for her sake, that it was meant to be a subtle way of telling her something. Except Barry wouldn't know subtle if it rushed at him with lightning speed.

Iris looked down at herself, following the path of Barry's eyes, unsure what he saw that was so remarkable. She was momentarily afraid that she was wearing pajama pants or the fluffy cat-ear slippers that Felicity had given her as a joke after the run-in with the meta whose touch transformed people into pets (an incident that was best forgotten, and that sound she made when Barry gave her a back rub wasn't purring, no matter how much he insisted it was). 

But no, she was fully dressed. Nothing struck her as out of the ordinary: black boots over opaque thermal thighs, tartan skirt, black turtle-neck, blue parka. 

Wait a moment — 

She did a quick double check, and yes, she was indeed wearing Leonard's parka. _Captain Cold_ 's parka. It must have been on the coat hanger by the door when he'd left this morning and she'd grabbed it instead of her black duffle on her way out in her rush to get to the lab as fast as possible.

Barry was ducking his head to hide a grin, and she felt a mirror version of it tugging at her own lips. It seemed a hilarious misstep for a moment until mortification hit her as she remembered the others' reactions and what they were implying. Her dad— _Fuck!_

And she knew things were about to get worse – so much worse – the second she heard Leonard's familiar drawl from the entrance of the Cortex.

"Isn't that cozy, everyone coming together to save the day?" He stepped into the room, favoring her dad and Cisco with a smirk that made them break into two almost identical scowls. He was wearing a black leather jacket, looking more _Leonard Snart_ than Captain Cold, despite the ever-present Cold Gun and the goggles around his neck. "Must be pretty desperate to invite me to the party." 

Lisa followed at her brother's heels and gave Cisco a cheeky little wave. Both of them held their guns loosely at their sides, aimed to the ground but doubtlessly ready to fire should the need arise.

Iris knew she should keep her mouth shut, shouldn't draw any extra attention towards her, but she couldn't help it. "I'm surprised you came, actually. I thought you had strict rules about not getting involved in any hero business?"

It was something Leonard never got tired of telling them. Even after everything, he still spit out the word 'hero' like it was an insult.

"True. Thought about giving it a pass, but Flash here begged so very nicely. Who could possibly say no to that?" 

The way the words rolled off his tongue in that slow, emphatic drawl made the taunt sound impossibly filthy, more innuendo swinging in it than the occasion deserved or than should be added to the tense atmosphere of the Cortex. Leonard turned towards Iris, the twitch of his mouth making it obvious that he was well aware of her attire, even if he didn't remark on it or even let his eyes dart away from her face

Unfortunately, not everyone displayed that kind of tact. 

The moment she felt Lisa's gaze on her, Iris knew they were all screwed. Lisa's eyes narrowed, gleaming with wicked delight. 

"Well, look at that. No wonder you skipped your signature look today, Lenny." She inclined her head and looked Iris up and down, as if she was appraising a stolen piece of art and found it lacking. Her nose wrinkled in playful distaste. "I guess I can see the appeal. I'm a little surprised Mrs. Goody Two Shoes here had it in her to step out on the Scarlet Speedster. To take up with a supervillain, no less."

All at once, the room started breaking into agitated protests, everyone talking over each other.

"Now, wait a moment—" her dad began, his voice sharp and angry, like he hadn't been thinking the exact same thing not ten minutes ago when he saw her wearing Captain Cold's clothes.

Barry, ever the hero, came to her defense, speaking over the flurry of voices. " _Guys_ , stop. No one's cheating on anyone. We're all good. So if we can maybe stop speculating about our love life and focus instead on the meta we're trying to contain?"

For the second time that day, a pregnant silence filled the room, awkwardness oozing out of every corner like sticky, toxic goo. 

Cisco was the first one to gather up his wits. "Um, 'our love life'? Dude... TMI!"

"I didn't mean— Well, I kind of did, but— I just wanted to—" Barry groaned and dropped his face into his hands. "Oh God, I made it worse, didn't I?"

"Only a little," Leonard added, illustrating the measure with his fingers. He sounded altogether too amused, considering he wasn't exactly a casual bystander in this unfolding scandal. "Keep going, though, I'm sure there's someone in this room who isn't mortified yet."

Barry glared at him, but it was half-hearted at best, and Iris was sure that if her wardrobe mishap and Barry's blunder hadn't already thoroughly outed them to their family and friends, the sheer volume of _fondness_ in Barry's gaze when he looked at Leonard would have. It was the same way he looked at him curled up on the couch together while Leonard was studying blueprints that most definitely should not in his possession, or when Barry was making dinner and Leonard kept stealing bits and pieces of food before it was even remotely ready.

She wondered if her expression looking at them was similar. It wouldn't surprise her, considering the warmth she felt witnessing the present exchange, the sense of possessiveness, the way something in the back of her mind coiled and whispered, _my boys_. 

When did this happen? When did sharp flirtation disguised as banter, the sense of stepping off the ledge with every heated touch, become Leonard's clothes at their loft and fond, conspiratorial glances between them? When did it turn from a rash decision made in the heat of the moment to a quiet, soft domesticity and a familiarity she never thought she'd associate with Leonard Snart?

Iris couldn't pinpoint when it began, she just knew that she didn't want to lose it, worried that she'd inadvertently altered the status quo between them by blowing their secret. 

From the other side of the console, her father was watching them with an incredulous expression, and she wasn't looking forward to what he'd have to say once he found his voice again. She just hoped he'd leave his gun in the holster – the last thing she and Barry needed was their boyfriend and her dad having a Mexican standoff in the middle of S.T.A.R. Labs.

To Iris's surprise, it was Lisa who broke the heavy tension. 

"Well, while this is all very interesting and I'd normally hate to miss the chance to enjoy watching my dear brother and his hero friends with and without benefits squirm, I think Flash here invited us over for a reason? Something about a meta you couldn't stop without us?"

"Whoa, hold on there, no one ever said we couldn't stop Blaze without you!" Cisco protested.

Lisa sent him a shark's smile, full of teeth. "Oh, really? We can always leave."

He spluttered. "I didn't say—"

The smile turned into a chuckle. "Relax, Cisco, sweetie, I'm just kidding."

And just like that, the attention was diverted back to the crisis that had brought them all here, before Barry's and her personal little scandal had taken over. As Cisco and Harry briefed them about Blaze's powers and potential weaknesses to exploit, Iris sent Lisa a quick, grateful little smile, not entirely surprised when Lisa caught her gaze and offered a barely noticeable shrug in return.

While the others were distracted, Iris stepped up to Leonard. The apologetic smile she gave him was a little tight around the edges, worry about the potential fall-out form today's reveal clenching around her heart like a vice.

"I'm sorry. I know you wanted to keep things under wraps for a while longer." More like forever, knowing Leonard, but it had been bound to come out eventually, given Barry's terrible track record with keeping secrets. Iris just hadn't thought that it would be her who'd give the game away.

Leonard shrugged, like it didn't matter in the slightest. "Gotta say, I'm a fan of the look." 

He let a finger lightly trail down the front of the parka along the zipper, following the motion with his eyes before he reached up and tugged a lock of her hair behind her ears. It was such an intimate gesture, and Leonard made it look casual and easy, but Iris knew that this kind of openly displayed affection didn't come naturally to him. Half a year ago, he would never have been the one to reach out, always relying on her or Barry to make the first step, unwilling to lower his guard like that, and Iris was fiercely proud by how far he had come. How far they had come, together.

Barry ruined the moment, walking up behind Iris with a grin. "You're thinking about her wearing just the parka, aren't you?"

"Barry," Iris hissed, pretending like the rush of heat she felt under the furry collar was indignation. 

"What? I mean, look at the way he's eyeing you up. It's kinda obvious that his mind went there." 

He threw Leonard a sly look that the other man countered with a raised eyebrow. "Like you never imagined peeling her out of the Flash suit, Barry."

Iris felt the weight of two pairs of eyes on her and amusement started warring with a twinge of arousal; it was hard to shake off either and keep a stern face. 

"Oh my God, please stop. You need to leave before you start suggesting roleplay," she whispered, so quietly that she hoped it didn't carry to where the others were still gathered around the whiteboard wrapping up the briefing.

In response, Barry looked like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and Leonard got that speculative, narrow-eyed look that meant he was putting together a plan. Iris shook her head, telling herself she didn't want to know. "I'm serious, go and save the day."

"Whatever you say." 

Leonard inclined his head. "We'll discuss this when we get back."

"No, we won't," she said with a certainty she didn't feel. She shook her head at them. "Be careful out there. Come back to me."

And just because she could, because the cat was out of the bag anyway, Iris pulled Leonard down into a kiss, her fists tight against the smooth lapels of his jacket, leather creaking under her fingers. It was brief but firm, confident even though – or perhaps because – she was well aware that every person in the room was watching. Leonard's lips felt chapped and cool against hers, the chilly autumn air still clinging to his skin, and he kissed back as easily and unhurried as if they were alone or with just Barry for company.

When she broke away, the labs were so quiet that you could hear the soft whirr of the computers.

"Okay, that was hotter than it should have been," Cisco muttered under his breath. 

Barry stifled a laugh, but the way he looked at Iris and Leonard, pupils blown and cheeks flushed under the mask, suggested that he agreed. 

He gave Iris a lightning-quick kiss, no doubt chasing Leonard's taste on her lips, before tugging at the other man's arm. "Come on, let's get going."

"Agreed. The faster we'll deal with the chick, the faster we're—"

He never got to finish the sentence, because Barry sped him away before he could, but Iris had an idea or two what he was going to say. She couldn't help but share the sentiment, thinking with a wistful longing of a quiet night in, just the three of them, away from the adrenaline rush and the prying eyes. For now, all she could do was listen in to the chatter and the bickering over Barry's communications link, hoping they'd make it back home in one piece, her usual worry doubled now that both of them were out there. 

Her dad slid into the chair next to hers. "This ain't the time, but don't think you and Barry aren't going to owe me an explanation."

Iris sighed and settled down. It was going to be a long night.

End.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to yell at me for the silly fluff and the _incredibly_ cheesy title. I can't believe I made that pun. /o\
> 
> This story was brought to you, at least in part, by finding [this lovely parka called 'Iris'](https://sandrine.dreamwidth.org/file/52816.jpg) (no kidding) that I may or may not have bought. *shifty look* I haven't been able to get the idea of Iris in Snart's parka out of my head ever since. :D I meant to get this finished in January, but real life happened.
> 
> Come [find me on Tumblr](http://sproutwings.tumblr.com) and watch me drown in Leonard Snart feels.


End file.
